NH Winter/SH Summer 2023-2024

Toronto in February... *insert "This is fine" gif*

The past week has been sunny and mild with highs in the 40s and 50s. Yesterday and Friday got up to 57 F/14 C but now we are under a Winter Storm Watch.

Perth struggling to escape summer heat
{ source: Weatherzone )


Even the fabled Fremantle Doctor has been running a fever as Perth gets close to racking up a record-challenging number of 35ºC this summer.
Perth suffered a pair of very hot days towards the end of last week, with temperatures reaching 42.0ºC on Friday and 42.3ºC on Saturday.

On hot summer days like these, Perth locals await the cooling effect of the onshore winds that typically develop in the late morning or afternoon, known affectionately by locals as the Fremantle Doctor.
Unfortunately, the Fremantle Doctor wasn’t as relieving as it can be on the weekend. Despite winds blowing from the southwest at 4pm AWST on Saturday, the temperature was still up at 36.5ºC in Perth.
On Sunday, winds coming predominantly from the west or south were also unable to bring temperatures down too much for Perth. The city’s high of 37.5ºC on Sunday was about 6ºC above average for this time of year, and by 7pm AWST it was still over 30ºC.
So, why are Perth’s onshore winds blowing warmer than usual? It’s due to a pool of warm air sitting near the coast, drawn into the region from the state’ Gascoyne and Central West districts.

Warmer than average sea surface temperatures off the southwest coast of WA are also adding to the abnormal warmth of the onshore winds.
Today, Monday February 12, will be Perth’s 22nd day at or above 35ºC so far this summer. With maximums forecast to reach or exceed the mid-thirties on most days this week, the city has a shot at racking up more 30 days above the 35ºC mark before the end of the season.
Based on data from Perth’s current Metro and old Regional Office weather stations, the city’s highest number of days at or above 35ºC during summer was 32 in the 2021-22 season.

Had 2h10 of sun today, which brings the monthly total to 5h55 already! Most of that was recorded on two days though.

In other news, 4.5°C above average MTD. Absolutely abysmal weather. At least it's gray.

This is what a summer cool change looks like ( in the space of an hour ) at Renmark and Melbourne

Do they not count Tasmania when looking at the geographical extremities?

Australian capital cities at 7.30am CST.

A couple of WA hotspots the last 12 months

Intense heat to hit WA's Gascoyne region this weekend
( source: weatherzone )

A searing air mass will send temperatures soaring in northwestern Australia this Sunday, with several forecast models predicting temperatures over 50ºC in the Gascoyne region.
Easterly winds feeding into a west coast trough will draw very hot continental air towards western parts of the Gascoyne and Pilbara districts this weekend. While the heat will stick around for several days, the highest temperatures are likely to occur on Sunday as the trough drifts far enough west to carry intense inland heat into low-lying land close to the coast.
The maps below show the forecast maximum temperature this Sunday according to the European and Australian global forecast models. Both models are predicting temperatures above 50ºC just inland from the Gascoyne coast.


^^Images: Forecast maximum temperature on Sunday, February 18, according to the ECMWF (top) and ACCESS-G (bottom) models.

Other forecast sources are also hinting at the prospect of 50ºC heat in the Western Gascoyne this Sunday, including the Bureau of Meteorology’s Met Eye tool, which is based on gridded data from the Australian Digital Forecast Database (ADFD).

^^Image: Point location maximum temperature forecast in the Western Gascoyne District on Sunday, February 18, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s ADFD grid. Source: Bureau of Meteorology.

The consensus between forecast models suggests there is a decent chance that some parts of northwestern Australia will be pushing close to 50ºC this Sunday. However, the sparse network of automatic weather stations in the region will mean the day’s peak heat is unlikely to be officially recorded.
Carnarvon's weather station is located too close to the coast to be exposed to the intense heat that will be felt a few kilometers further inland this Sunday. Gascoyne Junction’s weather station is much further inland, but at 144 m elevation, it will be too high to experience the day’s hottest weather.
The vast low-lying area just inland from the Gascoyne coast will see the highest maximum temperatures on Sunday, with some areas possibly exceeding 50ºC under the sweltering afternoon sunshine.
For those interested in tracking the heat this weekend, Australia’s highest official temperature on record is 50.7ºC from Onslow on January 13, 2022, and Oodnadatta on January 2, 1960. Australia’s highest February temperature on record was 50.5ºC at Mardie on February 19, 1998.